These findings also point to research by the National Association of Manufacturing and Deloitte that found the US will need to fill 3.5 million STEM jobs by 2025, but as many as 2 million will go unfilled because of difficulty finding people with the skills in demand. In addition, TechServe Alliance reported that lack of available skills is constraining the growth of IT jobs.

OpTech has partnered with Michigan’s Department of Talent and Economic Development as champions of the Marshall Plan for Talent. It is a revolutionary partnership between educators, employers and other stakeholders to transform Michigan’s talent pipeline and redesign the ways we invest, develop and attract talent in our state. Employers look for a talented workforce when they consider places to grow and locate, creating more and better jobs. Our State is facing a talent shortage across multiple industries and this shortage is the single greatest threat to the state’s continued economic recovery.